Chinook fishing in Boise River
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game on Monday stocked more than 300 chinook salmon jacks in the Boise River. They were released in the stretch of river that flows through Boise between Glenwood Bridge and Barber Park at the sites commonly used to release steelhead.
The fish are jacks that were not caught in the Little Salmon and the lower Salmon rivers before the season closed there and that are not required for broodstock at the Rapid River Hatchery.
Anglers do not need a salmon permit to fish for Chinook salmon in the Boise River this year because only jacks are being released. Once released, they will be considered landlocked and are included under the regional general rule for trout.
The general trout bag limit in the Boise River is six. But special rules apply in one river segment. From the East Boise River footbridge upstream to where Loggers Creek is diverted from the Boise River, the trout limit is two, and none may be under 14 inches.
Don’t drink and drive on the holiday
Fourth of July holiday celebrations mean barbecues, camping, boating and maybe some alcohol, so the Idaho Transportation Department is reminding motorists to make the right choice and don’t drink and drive.
“If your Independence Day celebration involves alcohol, avoid driving any vehicle when ‘buzzed’ or drunk,” said Kevin Bechen with ITD’s Office of Highway Safety. “It’s not worth the risk. Not only do you risk injuring or killing yourself or someone else, the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for impaired driving are significant.”
A few simple precautions before celebrating can prevent a drunk-driving tragedy.
l If you plan on consuming alcohol, designate a sober driver before going out, and give that person your keys.
l If you’re impaired, call a taxi, a sober friend or family member to get you home safely.
l Use available Sober Rides programs.
l Promptly report drunk drivers that you see on roadways to law enforcement. To contact the Idaho State Police, call *ISP.
l If you know that someone is about to drive impaired, take his or her keys and help make other transportation arrangements.
Watch out for log jams
Local fire departments were called to a possible river rescue Monday afternoon near Bellevue, but by the time they arrived a man and woman who were tubing in the Big Wood River and got caught in a log jam were already out of the water.
Both Hailey Fire Department and Wood River Fire and Rescue responded to the call.
Hailey Fire Chief Mike Chapman said the story he was told was that a “large man” waded out into the river and pulled them out. Chapman did not know that man’s name.
Ketchum seeks input on comp plan
The city of Ketchum will solicit public comment this summer on a new comprehensive plan. The current plan was adopted in 2001, and work on the new plan was initiated by the Community and Economic Development Department in October 2011.
During a City Council meeting Monday, Planning Manager Joyce Allgaier said the new plan is now in a “public draft” form.
“That’s an important juncture because we’re saying come and see and give us your input,” Allgaier said.
She said copies of the draft plan, whose policies and goals section consists of 65 pages, will be available on the city’s website and at City Hall, the Community Library and the Visitor Center. She said a public information session will be held at the library and small-group sessions will take place in the town’s cafes.
In an interview, Allgaier said the draft plan should be on the website in about two weeks.
Allgaier said at the meeting that the city expects to spend about a month and a half collecting public comments before holding a hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission in August. A hearing before the City Council will be held in September.
Traffic to shift north of Shoshone
After months of watching road construction next to the aging state Highway 75 north of Shoshone, drivers can soon give it a test drive, the Idaho Transportation Department announced.
Crews are completing several small projects of the new alignment before traffic can be shifted. That includes striping, guardrail installation and roadside markers. Drivers are encouraged to watch for signs that direct the traffic change.
After traffic is shifted, the contractor will continue to make connections to the county roads and access points on the west side of the highway. The contractor also must complete culvert crossings, remove three old bridges, remove the existing roadway and grade shoulders on the west side of the road.
Idaho Sand and Gravel Inc., of Jerome, is the contractor for the $13.2 million reconstruction project.
Free blood-pressure checks offered
St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center is offering free blood-pressure checks at the Hailey Post Office on the first Wednesday of each month through October. The service is free and no appointment is necessary.
The next date for the service is today, July 3, from 1-3 p.m.
For more information, call 727-8733.
Otter dumps rival, names Idaho rep’s wife instead
BOISE (AP)—Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter named U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson’s wife to a board that nominates Idaho judges, in the process replacing a Republican Party rival who has split with the governor on numerous issues.
Otter named Kathy Simpson of Idaho Falls to the seven-member Idaho Judicial Council to replace Ron Nate of Rexburg, whose term ended last month.
Otter and Nate have differed on numerous GOP issues in recent years.
Nate helped promote Idaho’s closed Republican primary, while Otter opposed it.
Judicial council members not only help nominate new judges, but oversee discipline of wayward members of the bench, should such an instance arise.
Idaho GOP director exits for state job
BOISE (AP)—The top staffer at the Idaho Republican Party is departing after less than a year on the job for a new post in state government.
State GOP executive director Josh Whitworth will be working in Idaho State Controller Brandon Woolf’s office starting next month.
Whitworth, a former Idaho State University football player from an Idaho ranching family, had filled the post vacated by former Republican Party director Jonathan Parker last July 23.
Republican Party Chairman Barry Peterson says now Whitworth will be replaced next month by Trevor Thorpe, who served as the state GOP’s political director for the past year and a half.
Thorpe is a Virginia native and a Brigham Young University graduate who moved to Idaho in 2010 to take a job with the state’s dominant political party.
Idaho gets federal grant to retrain jobless
BOISE (AP)— Idaho is getting more than $675,000 to help retrain workers who have been out of work for more than 27 weeks.
The U.S. Department of Labor announced the grant this week — part of a $58 million package dispersed to 30 states.
The grants will support unemployed workers seeking to get training or industry certifications, enroll in apprentice programs or other training that can lead to jobs.
The federal agency awarded the money on each state’s ability to meet certain guidelines.
Idaho got the second smallest amount, while Texas won the biggest amount at $4.4 million.
Architects licensed by state
Michael Doty Associates, an architectural firm in Ketchum, has announced that Nicole Ramey and Anna Williams have passed the Architect Registration Exam and are now licensed architects in the state of Idaho.
Both hold a certificate from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and are also LEED AP certified. Ramey received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Utah in 2002 and a master’s degree from the University of Idaho in 2006. She has been with Michael Doty Associates for nine years. Williams received an master’s in architecture degree from Montana State University in 2005 and has been with the firm for eight years.
